Just Taller Children
by emmylouuwho
Summary: Yes, they fight dinosaurs for a living. But outside of work, the ARC team's just a bunch of kids at heart. Collection of pieces, established Jess/Becker, post-series 5.
1. Innocence

_**Author's Note:**_ Found a notebook with a bunch of stories I'd written about halfway through series 4, so that's where some of these are from (namely, the backseat of my car, under an old atlas and an umbrella). I've tried to put them in chronological order, but they're mostly just random fluffy moments outside the ARC.

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><p>They were walking down the street after dinner on a summer night, hand in hand. They passed a schoolyard. The playground was small - jungle gym, see-saw, slide, and...<p>

"Ooh, swings!" Jess said, eyes suddenly alight with childlike enthusiasm. And mischief. "Let's go."

Before he knew what was happening, Jess' small hand had slipped out of his and she walked up to the fence, eyeing it critically.

"Jessica," Becker said, not sure if he meant it as a question or a warning. She simply grinned at him, slipping her shoes off.

She threw first one, then the other, shoe over the fence. Then climbed, quite expertly too, over the fence, landing silent as a cat on the other side. She grinned through the bars.

"Are you coming or not?"

He rolled his eyes with a sigh before scaling the fence himself. By the time he landed, without the grace she'd displayed, Jess had already reached the sandbox encompassing the swing set, her blue sundress blowing in the gentle breeze, sandals held in one hand. Becker jogged over to catch her up, and she smiled up at him as he drew level with her.

_What is it about this girl_? he thought. She made him feel lighter, freer. And willing to do anything, no matter how silly he thought it, to see that sparkle in her eye, or the dimple in her cheek as she grinned.

Said dimple was out in force as she plopped onto a swing, digging her bare toes into the sand below. Becker stood behind her, gave her a slight push, the action moving her no more than a foot in either direction. Tipping her whole body back, hands gripping metal chains of the swing, she looked up at him.

"You can do better than that."

He pushed Jess on the swing until she was almost level with the top bar with each arc. She squealed with delight, her hair flowing out behind her, bare feet rising in the air, dress fluttering about her knees.

In that moment, she was the picture of innocence, of joyous abandon. Becker drank in the sight like a man dying of thirst. With all the things he'd seen, and some he'd done, in the line of duty, he knew he would never regain that level of joy, that level of _trust_ in the world. Sometimes, on his darker days, he doubted if he'd ever been that innocent, even as a child. Couldn't remember it, not with all the other memories he carried with him.

Eventually the swing slowed, each arc shorter than the last, and he helped it along until Jess was once again almost still. Her eyes glowed with elation, her hair windblown about her face, teeth flashing, dimple showing. She tilted her head upward until she was looking up into his face, and he leaned down to kiss her grinning, upside down lips.


	2. Strays

Becker watched as Jess coaxed a stray kitten from under the car next to his truck in the restaurant's car park. _She certainly has a soft spot for strays_, he thought with a smile. And the more he thought about it, the more he realized it was true. Abby and Connor, Emily, even Becker himself - Jess had taken them all under her wing at some point.

Connor and Abby came back to the present from the Cretaceous, and Jess had taken them in without a second thought. She didn't even know them, and yet she'd opened up her home to them. She'd helped them readjust to life in the 21st century. They'd lived with her for over a year, the three of them becoming close friends. Abby told him once that on their first night staying with Jess, she'd found earplugs on the bedside table, to block out the now unfamiliar noises of the city. And Connor and Abby had both told him Jess hadn't played any loud music in the flat for several weeks, which must have been a sacrifice for her. Anyone who knew Jess knew that she was the type of girl to blast pop music, singing and dancing along as she puttered about the flat. In a way, Becker was a bit jealous. They got closer to Jess in a few days than he had in the previous eight months of working with her.

Emily was a stranger to Jess as well, but that didn't seem to matter. She'd befriended her, attempting to educate her about the world she'd been thrust into. And after Matt had brought Emily back from her own time, Jess had taken her in. Becker smiled as he remembered the gleeful look on Jess' face upon seeing her Victorian friend once more. _'I knew you'd be back.' _Abby and Connor had moved into their own place a few weeks before, and Jess immediately offered her now empty spare bedroom. Granted, Emily had only stayed at Jess' flat for about a month before moving back in with Matt. It had taken that long for Jess to convince her that it was socially acceptable for an unmarried couple to live together.

It was the same with him. When Becker first met Jess, he was a bit of a wreck. Everyone he cared about, apart from his family, had either been killed or lost through something that should have been impossible - a rip in time, an anomaly. He'd arrived back at the ARC hardened, detached. But Jess didn't let that stop her. From the day they met, Jess had been Becker's soft spot, the crack in his armor. It had taken him almost two years to admit however. But she'd helped him long before then, simply by being herself. She'd befriended him when he didn't think he was worthy of anyone's friendship, and, when faced with his gruff exterior, hadn't taken no for an answer. It had taken them nearly two years to get beyond flirting and chatting in the break room, however. Two years until he realized that he couldn't do without her, and that he'd have to if he didn't do something soon; Jess wasn't about to wait forever.

Becker was drawn from his thoughts when Jess returned to his side, the grey and white kitten mewing in her arms.

"He hasn't got a collar."

Becker recognized that hopeful tone, and when she looked up at him, there was a pleading look in her eyes. They stared each other down for a moment, then Becker sighed.

"Alright, but we're taking it to the vet in the morning."

Jess happily kissed him on the cheek, bouncing into the passenger seat of his truck when he held the door open. A thought struck him as he crossed to the driver's side.

"You're not allergic to cats, are you?" he asked, concerned.

"No. Are you?"

Becker shook his head. They were almost at their flat when a thought struck Becker.

"Connor is though."

"Is what?"

"Allergic."

Jess grinned at her evilly smirking boyfriend, then turned to the kitten and crooned, "Seems you're going to be a guard kitty. An anti-Connor defensive weapon."


	3. Fly Paper

Jess found the first one a month after she and Becker moved into their new flat.

They'd moved in April, and as the weather warmed, Jess began opening the windows. At first she thought the windowsills were warped, until she caught Becker in the act of closing all the windows she'd opened less than ten minutes before. At the time, she hadn't thought much of it.

The object in question was one of those 'roach motel' bug traps, and she found the first one behind the sofa. In her subsequent search of the flat, Jess found at least ten more. Their building was well-maintained; it wasn't as though they had a bug problem. But that thought led to another, and another, and by the time Becker returned with their dinner, Jess was waiting.

She stood next to the kitchen counter, arms crossed over her chest. Becker, paper bag in his arms, took one look at her face and visibly paled.

"What did I do?" he asked, sounding, to himself at least, a bit like Connor when faced with the wrath of Abby.

"Are you expecting some sort of infestation that I don't know about?"

"What?"

"You have those creepy bug traps everywhere," Jess said, exasperated. "There are already three epi-pens in the bathroom. I think I'm safe!"

Becker at least had the good grace to look embarrassed, but Jess wasn't finished yet.

"And I draw the line at fly paper strips. You're not putting any of those in here. This is not a barn," she said, walking towards him. "Although, you're taller than me, so you'd get stuck to them first."

Becker set the bag down on the counter, and gathered her up in a hug. Her arms went automatically around his neck, and he planted a light kiss on her smiling lips.

"I'm just trying to keep you safe."

"I know, and I love you for it," she said. "Doesn't mean you're not ridiculous. Well-meaning, but still ridiculous."

She kissed him, standing up on her tiptoes. "And you're still getting rid of those things tomorrow."


	4. Unguarded

Abby and Connor were having one of their whispered rows in one corner of the Ops room. Jess was trying very hard not to eavesdrop. And failing, as she found herself wishing she could read lips. They were too far away to hear.

Becker walked up, taking her attention away from one temptation, and replacing it with another. That of reaching up and kissing him, right there in the middle of the ARC.

"What's with the two of them?" Becker asked in an undertone, nodding towards the corner. She shrugged.

Becker, ever the sadist, watched, leaning an elbow against Jess' desk, as Connor seemed to visibly shrink beneath the petite blonde's glare. The hushed tones of their argument were rapidly growing louder.

Suddenly Abby yelled, "Because I'm pregnant, you idiot!"

In the sudden silence, Connor fainted dead away, falling to the floor with a thud. Everyone stared a moment, and Abby turned a bright red. Then Becker's laughter rang out.

The pure sound of it shocked Jess. He was laughing openly, happily - both at his friends' happy news, and at one friend's reaction to it. Soon he was laughing so hard he was holding his stomach.

Jess had never seen Becker like this, so carefree. Unguarded. Normally he was the consummate soldier, always controlled, always dignified. Shielded. Now here he was, still clutching at his side, helping his friend to a chair, then turning to hug Abby, congratulating her. Jess was so stunned by it that she just stood there, watching the scene before her. It took her a moment, then she was squealing and hugging Abby, delighted, back to her usual self. And when she grinned across the metal table at Becker, he returned the grin with equal enthusiasm.


	5. What's All This Then?

Jess walked into the armory, a smile lighting up her face. He shared her feelings, although he wasn't about to go around bouncing up and down in doorways. Two weeks before, Danny Quinn had showed up through an anomaly they'd been called to. Ethan (or Patrick, or whatever) had been killed in the Pleistocene two months before, and Danny had been trying to find his way back ever since. And now Abby and Connor were about a month away from having a baby. It seemed that, despite everything, things were beginning to turn around for the people at the ARC. Things were not only getting back to normal, as normal as possible anyway, but the averted apocalypse of New Dawn a year ago had spurred people toward finding happiness.

"I'm going to be a godmother!" Jess said, delighted.

"I know. And, against my better judgement, I've just agreed to be godfather."

She laughed with him and, running at him, threw herself into his arms. He was sitting on a stool next to one of the metal tables, thankfully empty of weapons at the moment. She hit him with such force that the stool wobbled. One hand used the tabletop to steady himself, while the other arm snaked around her waist to hug her. She pulled back to see his face, her own wreathed in smiles.

Becker had no doubt that Jess' actions had been motivated purely by overwhelming glee, but as the stool steadied, no longer rocking side to side, and the two of them with it, they realized their position. Jess was sitting on Becker's lap, her legs wrapped around his waist, arms about his neck. Their faces were inches apart, and Jess looked startled by the proximity. And by the look in Becker's eyes. Her cheeks flushed pink, and she began to pull away, but his hands on her waist stopped her.

She gasped as he pulled her closer, giving her a wolfish grin. "Just where do you think you're going?"

She grinned back, her fingers threading through the hair at the nape of his neck.

"Can't think why they're entrusting a child's moral upbringing to you," she said, one corner of her lips quirked, and laughed when he tickled her. He caught Jess' lips with his, drawing a sigh from her.

"What's all this then?" a voice, in perfect imitation of a copper, said from the doorway.

The pair broke apart, Jess giggling and turning her head away to rest on Becker's shoulder. He, on the other hand, scowled, positively growling in her ear.

"Can I shoot him? Please?" He looked almost hopeful, but Jess shook her head.

"It wouldn't be very polite," she whispered, before turning toward the figure in the doorway.

"Can we help you with something Danny?" Jess asked, making no attempt to remove herself from Becker's lap.


	6. Yes Please

**Author's Note:** This could be read as a kind of sequel to Ch. 5 of my series 'Everything.' But it can definitely be read on its own.

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><p>Candlelight shone on the sparkly surface, winking at her across the table. It was the most beautiful thing she'd ever seen. Well, the second. The most wonderful, amazing thing she'd seen in her life was the look on Becker's normally guarded face. A look that was a mixture of hope and terror. A look that said he was laying everything on the line, and hoping she would accept.<p>

Jess and Becker were sitting in the same restaurant where, almost a year and a half ago, they'd had their first date. It was a tiny Italian place, and Becker's favorite restaurant. His grandmother was Italian, and he'd spent a lot of time at her house when his father was on tours and his mother had to work.

Becker pulled the box out of his pocket as they were finishing dessert, and Jess had answered before he'd even managed to get out of his seat.

"Yes."

He gave her his patented '_Jessica'_ look, and said, "Can you not let me ask the question first?"

"Sorry."

She bit her lip to keep the dozen other cries of 'Yes' from escaping.

"Jessica Parker, I love you. Will you marry me?"

He'd never been a man of many words, and thought that that was enough to get his feelings across. The restaurant had gone quiet, and so had Jess. Which was never a good sign with her. His Jess even talked in her sleep. After a moment, Becker ventured a "Jess?"

"Can I say 'yes' now?" she asked sweetly, a sparkle in her eye.

"If you like."

"Yes, please." _Did I really just say please? _she thought, mentally slapping a hand to her forehead. From the look on Becker's face, he was obviously thinking along the same lines.

"Thank you," he said, grinning.

He leaned forward to kiss her to the sound of applause throughout the small restaurant. Sitting back into his chair, Jess noticed Becker grinning that close-lipped grin, one corner of his mouth twitching, and tried not to laugh herself.

Jess adopted her most prim and proper posture, as though she were having tea with the Queen, and said, "You're very welcome."

Becker bit the inside of his cheek, but it didn't work, and after a second or two, he cracked. He burst into laughter, and Jess joined in. They'd just managed to control themselves, and Jess was admiring the ring on her left hand, when their waiter brought the coffee.

"That was the most polite proposal I've ever seen," they heard him mutter as he walked away.

Jess looked at Becker, and Becker looked at Jess, and in a few moments, neither one could scarcely breathe for laughing.


	7. Music

**Author's Note:** Happy July 4th weekend! Here's another fluffy scene. I've been spending the weekend with the fam, which doesn't work well with writing things for British shows, as my family amplifies my native language (Southern). Let me know if anything seems out of place. Enjoy!

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><p>The first time that Becker stayed the night at Jess' flat, he woke to an odd feeling. It wasn't just that he was alone in the bed, which in itself was unusual; of the two of them, Becker was the early riser. It was something else. Then he heard it. Music. Or more specifically, pop music. The odd feeling was his ears trying to cringe away from the sound.<p>

Stepping into the kitchen warily, he was met with a ridiculously adorable sight. It was Jess, dressed in a blue tank top and pajama shorts, which were decorated with cartoon owls that reminded him of those lollipop commercials. She was dancing around the kitchen, half-humming, half-singing along to the stereo on the countertop. As he leaned against the counter at the far end of the room, she turned from the stove, where something that smelled deliciously like eggs and bacon was cooking. With a twirl, she stepped to the fridge and opened it.

"hm hm hm hm hmmm you're yes then you're no... hmm hm hmm..."

A carton of orange juice appeared, Jess closed the door, and, in doing so, saw Becker for the first time. A blush immediately crept up her neck to her cheeks, and she turned back to the stove.

Becker wasn't one to judge someone by their musical taste alone. And he loved Jess already, had done since long before they got together. So, as the song ended, he'd already resigned himself to the fact that Jess' musical preferences would just have to be the cross he had to bear. Then he heard the intro of a familiar song. _God, I love this girl. _A grin spread across his face, widening even more as Jess began to sing along to the new song, apparently having gotten used to his presence.

"hm hmm, let me take you to movies... hm hmm hm garden grow, you kno-o-w..."

Jess never understood why, on the first morning after Becker spent the night at hers, he suddenly wrapped her into a bone-crushing hug that lifted her off the ground. And he was grinning like a loon the whole time. He kissed her soundly before releasing her.

_Well, he must be happy. He's actually humming_, she thought, watching him out of the corner of her eye as he searched the cupboards for plates and coffee mugs.

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><p><strong>AN 2:** Kudos if you know the songs. Becker just seems a classic rock type of guy.


	8. Stag Night, Pt 1

**Author's Note:** This started out a 'Becker & Connor are drunk and silly, Abby & Jess judge them' fic, but then mutated. I swear my stories keep hulking out on me. So it will be a two-parter. Also, thanks for all the reviews! Y'all are awesome. Enjoy!

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><p>It was the night before Connor and Abby's wedding, and the night of Connor's stag do as well. Abby met Matt, Danny, and Becker at the front door, while Jess was tasked with keeping Connor distracted. Which didn't require her to do much, since he'd forgotten something in his room. Keeping an ear out as Connor rifled through his bedroom, Jess edged toward the stairwell, catching the last of Abby's lecture.<p>

"Just, don't let him drink too much. And don't, you know, leave him anywhere."

Danny snorted at that, and Jess could practically feel the glare Abby was giving him. Soon enough, Connor joined his mates, and Abby ushered the four boys out the door.

As she walked into the kitchen, Jess fixed her with an appraising look.

"I noticed you didn't mention strippers."

"Jess, it's Connor."

"True," Jess replied with a chuckle. Those two words said it all.

"Honestly, I'm more worried about him winding up naked in front of the statue of Queen Victoria. I'm not about to bail him out of jail on our wedding day."

Jess snorted at the mental image that created.

She and Abby spent part of the evening packing the couple's remaining odds and ends. They were moving out of Jess' and into a flat of their own when they returned from their honeymoon. And, as Abby had had her bachelorette party the previous night, they spent the rest of the time in front of the telly with takeout and a bottle of wine, watching girly movies they were never allowed to watch on their designated movie nights. Connor always vetoed them.

It was past three, closer to four, in the morning, and the girls had long since gone to bed. Still, Jess awoke quickly to the thump and slurred "Shh" coming from downstairs. Bleary-eyed, she padded to the front door and opened it to find Connor slumped against the door frame. _At least he's still upright_, she thought. At that moment, he slid down the door jamb to sit on the ground.

Jess turned her attention to the tall figure in front of her, Connor's keys in his hand. Becker was looking at the spot where, a moment before, the lock had been. He didn't seem to understand what had happened, and just stood there, still as a statue.

"Becker?" Jess hissed.

She really hoped she wouldn't have to deal with two unconscious men. Especially when each one, on his own, was at least half again her body weight. Thankfully, at the sound of her voice, Becker's eyes darted to her face, and he grinned hugely.

"Jess!" he said loudly, immediately shushing himself, and her. "Shh! Shh!"

He swayed, and Jess stepped forward, but Becker managed to steady himself with a hand on the door frame.

"We... we hav'ta, have ta get, Con-connor up, upstairs," he slurred, leaning forward until her eyes crossed trying to look at him. Jess nodded, smiling a bit at this unfamiliar side of Becker. He rarely let his guard down enough to get drunk, let alone properly hammered as he was now.

Just then the hall light flickered on, revealing a tousled blonde head, belonging to an angry Abby.

"Damn," Becker said softly. _You've got that right._

Abby advanced on the trio in the doorway, ready to give the two men a piece of her mind, but Jess put a hand on her arm.

"Let's just get Connor upstairs, shall we?" she said brightly. "Besides, it'll be much more fun for you to yell at him tomorrow morning. When he's hung over."

Abby smirked at her friend. "I'm impressed. You've got a dark side."

Jess shrugged in a self-deprecating gesture.

"I must be rubbing off on you," Abby continued proudly, earning a laugh from her friend.

Becker, who seemed to be struggling to follow their conversation, suddenly piped up, indignant.

"No she doesn'! Jessss, Jesssica is, is wonderf'l."

Abby laughed, and she and Jess rolled their eyes at each other. At the sound of her laughter, Connor seemed to rouse himself, squinting up at her.

"Abby?" he leaned back, trying to focus on her, despite the distance between himself, on the ground, and her, standing over him. "Abby!"

"You're in big trouble, Conn."

He looked around slowly, then back to her with the most pitiful, confused look. "I've shrunk!"

Somehow, Abby and Jess managed to get Connor up the stairs and onto the living room sofa, Becker weaving along unsteadily behind them, occasionally offering completely unhelpful advice. Connor mumbled something that might've been 'lurvve youu' to Abby before passing out. Jess, who'd just set a waste basket on the floor next to him, looked over at Abby, who was in the process of unlacing his trainers.

"Aww," Jess said in an exaggerated voice, and Abby gave her a withering look.

Jess' knees threatened to buckle as Becker slung an arm across her shoulders heavily.

"Y'know," he said, looking between her and the snoring Connor. "You... you're a goo' friend."

"Alright Becker," she said in her no nonsense, field coordinator voice, patting the hand on her shoulder. "Time for you to go home too."

"Jess," he slurred, leering. "Don' wanna g'home."

"Oh no, you're not staying here. Not tonight. You smell like a brewery," Jess said, looking to Abby to rescue her. But her friend had deserted her in her hour of need it seemed.

She sighed, and put an arm about Becker's waist, taking some of his weight. As she steered him to her room, he nuzzled her neck, his breath on her skin tickling her. He seemed asleep on his feet by the time they reached Jess' bed, but a sigh escaped him as he flopped awkwardly onto it.

"Go to sleep," she said, smoothing his hair back and planting a kiss on his forehead. He mumbled, turning over as she slipped under the covers on the other side. Both were asleep within minutes.

The next day was a memorable one, even before the wedding that afternoon.


	9. Stag Night, Pt 2

The next day was a memorable one, even before the wedding that afternoon. Jess woke up feeling smothered, and discovered that Becker was asleep almost on top of her. She was trying to push him off, and having no luck. She leaned close to his ear and said loudly, "Good morning!"

Becker started, opening his eyes, then squeezing them shut again with a groan and a stream of mumbled curses.

"I'll bet," Jess said, finally free from the weight of his arm, as his hands had gone to cover his face.

She was just about to torture him some more when she heard noises coming from the living room, and leapt out of bed, not wanting to miss the show.

Abby saw Jess open her door out of the corner of her eye and winked. She was leaning over Connor's prone form on the sofa, a wicked gleam in her eye, and Jess noticed that at some point, Abby must've taken all his clothes.

"And just where have you been?" Abby yelled, fixing Connor with her fiercest glare. He started, sitting straight up, then fell back again with a thud, his head hitting the armrest. "And where are your clothes?"

Connor seemed to focus on the word _clothes_, and looked down, yelping in surprise at his nudity. Jess stifled a giggle, and turned to see Becker standing behind her, also enjoying the prank. Becker didn't look nearly as rough as Connor, Jess noticed, and already seemed to be regaining his stoic, slightly sarcastic, demeanor.

"I... I..." Connor was stammering under Abby's glare. "I honestly couldn't tell you."

"Well, perhaps you should ask the _friends_ who dumped you on the doorstep this morning."

"You mean, I, I didn't sleep... here?" he squeaked.

Abby just sighed in a long-suffering way. "I don't know. But _you_ better figure it out soon. The wedding is at three. Or it was," she said threateningly.

With that, she turned with a huff toward her bedroom. Jess, from the doorway of her own bedroom, caught her eye. Gave her a look that said clearly, _Isn't that a bit much? _Abby pouted, then mouthed, _Fine_, before turning back to Connor. He seemed to be trying to disappear into the sofa.

"I didn't mean that," she said. "But you still better figure out what the hell happened."

As soon as Abby disappeared back into her room, Connor, spotting his mobile on the coffee table, latched onto it like a lifeline. He began pressing buttons furiously, cursing under his breath.

"What's he doing?"

She half-turned, and saw him watching the scene with squinting eyes, frowning slightly.

"Looking for clues." He gave her a blank look. "Photos, new contacts, addresses, that sort of thing."

Becker's blank look persisted, and Jess despaired, again, of ever reconciling him with technology.

"You are sure you're from this century, aren't you?"

Becker laughed, but stopped abruptly, clutching his head. He stumbled back to the bed, sitting down heavily.

"So," Jess said brightly, and loudly, bouncing onto the bed next to him, eliciting a groan from him. "What _did_ happen last night?"

Becker, not surprisingly, seemed reluctant to say anything, but before he could reply, a panicked hiss came from the cracked door.

"Becker! Becker, you in there, mate?"

Jess got up and opened the door wide, revealing a very naked Connor, clutching a maroon throw pillow to himself. Jess stifled a giggle, and Becker threw him a pair of sweatpants from the floor. Which happened to belong to Jess, not him.

"Cheers mate," he said, and ducked behind the door, reemerging a moment later, looking moderately more presentable. But only moderately, due to the fact that he was wearing turquoise pants, something sparkly spelled across the backside. "So?"

"So, what?" Becker asked. Jess, out of Connor's line of sight, struggled to keep from laughing. Becker was going to play his part in the joke. Not that that would get him out of trouble with a certain Abigail Maitland, soon to be Temple.

"So what happened?" Connor sounded frantic now.

"I dunno. I got here around three. You disappeared before that. Danny said he'd find you."

"Breakfast! Connor's treat!" Abby called, interrupting them. Jess breathed a sigh of relief. Connor looked about to call Danny, which would give everything away.

They only made Connor suffer for another hour or so, before revealing the truth. Becker was still in trouble with Abby, but apparently nothing worse than Jagerbombs occurred during the course of the evening. And then it was time to leave for the church. _That's one good thing_, Jess, the maid of honor, thought. It kept the bride and groom so distracted they didn't have time to be nervous.


	10. As Promised

**Author's Note:** And the happiness is back! I never can go long without the fluff.

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><p>Thursday night was movie night, and had been for a long time. Connor, Abby, and Jess had begun the tradition just after they started living together, needing a break from the stress of the ARC. Even after Abby and Connor had moved into their own flat, the former roommates kept up the tradition. Becker had become a regular attendee several months before, and both he and Jess suffered knowing looks and suggestive remarks from the newlyweds. Matt and Emily occasionally came, and were always welcome, but it tended to just be the four of them.<p>

There were were only two rules to Temple-Parker Movie Night: one, majority ruled when it came to movie selection; two, no shop talk, unless one wanted to be on the receiving end of a glare from Abby or one of Jess' organ-bruising pokes to one's side (Connor was the most frequent breaker of rule two). Also, any movie night required either Chinese or pizza, beer, and, at Jess' insistence, ice cream.

That particular Thursday, Becker was given the task of bringing the alcohol. He got stuck in traffic, arriving at Abby and Connor's later than usual. When his knock was answered with a shout of "It's open," he entered to find Connor and Jess entirely too giddy; it was downright unsettling.

Jess skipped over to kiss him, and he fixed her with his best 'Jessica' look. "What are you so happy about, love? And why do I get the feeling it's not going to end well?"

"Becker, you are entirely too suspicious."

"I know you, Jessica," he replied. "That overly enthusiastic smile never bodes well. Especially when Connor has the same expression."

"You missed the vote," Abby said, doling out helpings of rice.

"Don't worry, there's plenty of action. And explosions." Jess sounded gleeful while Becker simultaneously groaned.

"Oh God."

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><p>Forty minutes later, Abby and Connor sat on one sofa while Jess and Becker were on the adjacent one. Abby and Becker were separated only by an end table and the two armrests. Becker leaned toward her, frowning at the screen, where aliens battled each other. He was having trouble following the convoluted plot.<p>

"What is this rubbish?" he whispered.

Abby smirked knowingly. "Something you learn to live with," she replied, nodding at the enraptured faces of Jess and Connor, whose attention hadn't wavered from the screen.

Becker leaned back into the sofa with a sigh, and Jess snuggled into his shoulder. He understood what Abby meant. It was just one of those things you learned to accept when dating a tech, like the way Jess waxed lyrical about a new piece of technology, oblivious to Becker's uncomprehending look.

_I suppose it could be worse_, he thought, settling his arm around Jess' shoulders. _At least there are explosions. As promised._


	11. A New Nickname

Becker sat at the head table at the reception, thinking that Jess had finally met her match in Connor's niece Ava; they were equally matched in their talkative, bubbly natures. The six-year old was a smaller, female version of her uncle, both in looks and personality. She had the same dark hair, warm brown eyes, and easy smile. She was also chatty, outgoing, and completely lacking in social etiquette; Becker hoped that this last was merely due to age. He'd already seen her embarrass several couples in the past hour with her innocently blunt questioning. Now she and Jess, flower girl and maid of honor, were twirling about the dance floor, giggling.

* * *

><p>Jess sat on the armrest of one of the large armchairs in the dressing room, while the little girl, Ava, sat cross-legged in the seat. They both oohed and aahed admiringly as Emily and a very pregnant Jenny fussed over Abby's veil.<p>

"Alright," Abby said, clearly feeling a little too fawned over. "It's time for you lot to be out there." She shooed them out of the dressing room into the hall before turning back to the mirror.

The bridesmaids and flower girl went to take their places in the hall outside, and found Danny, Matt, Becker, and a very ashen-faced Connor. And Lester, who would give the bride away.

"Is he alright?" Emily asked Jess in a low voice, nodding at Connor, just as Jenny walked over toward him. Whatever Jenny said to him seemed to have a bracing effect, and Connor half-smiled, giving the pregnant woman a sort of one-armed hug.

Jess was watching this exchange when she felt a small hand tug on her dress. She looked down to see Connor's niece, basket of flower petals clutched in one hand, peering up at her. Jess crouched down with a smile.

"Who's that?" Ava asked, looking with a sort of terrified awe at Becker.

Jess quickly hid a grin; she didn't want the girl to think she was laughing at her. But Becker did look a trifle intimidating in his dress uniform. _Especially if you're a kid and he's three times as big as you_. Personally, Jess thought he looked quite handsome.

"That's Captain Becker. He's a friend of your Uncle Connor." _Well, sort of._ "Don't worry," Jess added. "He's not as scary as he looks. He's quite nice really."

"He looks like a prince from a fairy tale," she whispered, in the forthright manner of children.

Jess chuckled. "Suppose he does."

She'd have to remember to tell Connor that particular observation later. It might surpass even 'Action Man' as his favorite nickname for the soldier.

Jess turned back to Ava, and was met with a knowing smile she'd seen many times on Connor's face. It was slightly unnerving in a six-year old. "Is he your boyfriend?"

Jess nodded.

"Wow."

"Yeah. Come on," Jess said, and led the girl over to Becker. "Becker, this is Ava, Connor's niece. Ava, Captain Becker."

The tiny girl stepped right up to the soldier, sticking out her hand. "Pleased to meet you."

Becker looked nonplussed, not sure how to reach. To his credit, he didn't patronize her, simply shook the proffered hand with a nod and a crooked smile.

"Nice to meet you too."

Jess could see that the girl liked him immediately for treating her like a grown up, like any other wedding guest.

Soon it was time for the men to enter the chapel, and Jess hurried over to Connor. She kissed his cheek and squeezed his shoulder affectionately. "Showtime, roomie," she said softly, straightening his tie. "Oh, and your niece thinks Becker looks like Prince Charming." Jess grinned at Connor's surprised snort. "Thought you'd enjoy that."

"Thanks, Jess... She _is_ still in there, isn't she?" Connor asked, nodding toward the door where Abby was waiting.

"Course," Jess said. "She asked you, remember?"

"I'm never going to live that down, am I?"

"Probably not," Danny, the best man, said with his usual cheeky grin as he neared them, clapping a hand to Connor's shoulder and steering him toward the door.

* * *

><p>At the reception, Jess and Ava, along with almost the entire wedding party, were dancing to some silly song when Jess felt a familiar callused hand on her shoulder.<p>

"May I cut in?" Becker asked with a smile when she turned to him.

* * *

><p>He should have known. He should've known when she turned to him with that impish twinkle in her eye that she was up to something. He'd been one of the few still seated, watching Jess, her flowing green dress swirling about her as she spun, and thinking how beautiful she looked. And before he knew it, despite his inherent aversion to dancing in general, he was asking her to dance with him.<p>

"May I cut in?"

"Of course," she said, smiling and reaching up to kiss his cheek lightly. "I've been wanting to go talk to Jenny anyway."

Then she'd walked off, smirking worse than Matt, to go chat with Jenny. He just gaped after her. She'd left him standing there, staring down at the tiny chatterbox who was basically Connor Temple in miniature.

The little girl had already begun talking, asking question after question, without pausing for breath. Glaring over at Jess, Becker saw that she was turned away from him, while Jenny, leaning back in the chair next to her, was looking his way and laughing. Hysterically.

Jess was going to pay for this.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> More are on the way, once I get a chance to do some editing. I'm also working on a 'Jess meets Becker's parents' fic. It started out as a piece for this series, but will probably end up being it's own story. Again, thanks for the reviews!


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